Watchmen Director Calls Episode 8 Post Credit Scene "Critical"

Watchmen is headed for the biggest episode of the season so far on HBO tonight. The director of episode eight has a message for all the fans: make sure you stick around for the post-credits scene tonight. Now, last week’s episode had its own sly nod to a post-credits scene but this seems like it will be more substantive for the fans. Nicole Kassel is an executive producer on the series and the director of tonight’s episode. She sat down to talk to Inverse about why fans better make sure they stick around for whatever is waiting after those credits roll. Amid a season with high ratings and breathless fan discussion, it is not hard to see why there are so many people anxious about what will prove to be a pivotal episode of HBO’s latest hit. Thinking about last week’s dizzying reveal, whatever is hiding after the episode will probably fuel another week of speculation with ease.

“The after-credit idea came from the books,” Kassel explains. “The way in which there were the chapters, and at the end of each one there were book excerpts from Tales of the Black Freighter. So we had actually been flirting with that idea for all the episodes.”

“It just really only made sense to do it with this episode and that chapter of Jeremy Iron’s story because it doesn’t fit in anywhere else,” Kassell continued. “This episode had to be entirely dedicated to Yawha [Abdul-Mateen II] and Regina [King]’s story. It didn’t feel right to depart, to spend a chunk of time with Jeremy’s character.”

“That scene is critical to the setup of Episode 9,” she concluded. “So the solution was: here was the opportunity to pay homage to the structure of the book while telling the story that’s essential to the viewing of Episode 9.”

So, something big is coming and don’t forget that the finale is also lingering out there in the distance. With Dr. Manhattan on the board and a larger fill-in on tap from what the previews for this episode have shown, get ready for a roller coaster. There's nothing on television quite like Watchmen as it has gotten going this year. Damon Lindelof and the writing staff deserve a ton of credit for crafting a narrative that has basically knocked viewers off their feet so far.

The fun begins tonight at 9 PM ET on HBO.

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